Jean Stevo (28 May 1914 – 7 November 1974) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and engraver.

Biography

Born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 1914, Stevo became active in European artistic life with his first exhibition in 1936.Stevo 1971, p. 13 Among his friends and associates may be counted figures such as

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, and Max Ersnt.

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, the Director of the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris commented on Stevo's work: "In his varied activities, Jean Stevo has devoted himself to a lyrical effusion, to the fantastic of the imagination, to the shadows of human destiny. the clear structure of his work clings to the page and, at the same time, animates it like a poem always vibrant with life." Jean Stevo was invited to participate in the Venice Biennal (Biennale di Venezia), both in 1954 and 1962. In 1969, at the invitation of John Hersey, he had a solo show at Yale University (April 27- May 27), followed by another show in 1972 at the Athena gallery (New Haven, Ct). A retrospective of Stevo'art work took place in 1975 under the auspices of the Maison française at Columbia University. The paintings, drawings, and graphic works of Jean Stevo have been exhibited throughout the world. He was asked to exhibit at the salon des " Réalités Nouvelles" at the

Museum of Modern Art in Paris A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

, the Biennale of Engraving at Lugano (1960), and the Biennale delle Regioni at Ancona (1968.) Stevo received wide critical acclaim, from the Prize in Engraving (Art Jeune, 1942) to the Critics Mendal of "La Nuova Critica Europea" (1969.) His works now figure in the principal museums and collections of Europe, including the Cabinet des Estampes of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

and

Stedelijk Museum The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

in Amsterdam, the National Museum of Cracow, Poland, the Royal Belgian Academy in Brussels, and the Harvard Art Center. Stevo is also known for his poetry, short stories, and other writings. In 1973 the Académie Royale de Langue et de Littérature française de Belgique awarded Jean Stevo the Léopold Rosy Prize for his book on Michel de Ghelderode.

Selected works

Poetry & Fiction La Chanson Grise, Paris, 1966 La Nuit de Hollande, Paris, America-America, Paris,1969 (illustrations by Marie-Rose Mabille) Haute Solitude Lettres de Nulle Part, 1971 (poetry & etchings) James Ensor, Editions Germinal, 1947 Marie Howet, Monographies de l'Art Belge, 1954 Paul Maas, Monographies de l'Art Belge, 1961 Hommage à James Ensor, Brepols,1960 Office des Ténèbres pour Michel de Ghelderode, 1972 Cinematography: Le simple bonheur d'Edgard Tytgat,1953 (with Steppé & Lovrix)

References

E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs.Oxford University Press, 1999 James Ensor, Lettres à Jean Stevo, 1935–38, Getty RI Library Catalog Philippe Roberts-Jones, Le dictionnaire des peintres belges du XIVème siècle à nos jours, Bruxelles, La renaissance du livre, 1995 Marc Eemans, L'art vivant en Belgique, Bruxelles, 1972, p. 192 A. van Wiermeersch, Contemporary Painters and Sculptors in Belgium, Ghent, 1973, pp. 228–229 Louis Lebeer, La gravure contemporaine, 1971/Hedendaagse Graveerkunst in België, Provinciale Bibliotheek van Limburg Arto, Dictionnaire des arts plastiques en Belgique Paul Piron, Dictionnaire des artistes plasticiens en Belgique des XXIème et XXème siècles Thierry Denoel, Le petit dictionnaire des Belges, Bruxelles: Editions Le Cri,1993, p. 600 Columbia Dictionary of European Literature, ed. Jean-Albert Bédé, Columbia University Press, 1980 Robert Frickx & Raymond Trousson, française de Belgique, Poésie, Bruxelles: Académie Royale de Langue et de française de Belgique *Stevo, Jean (1971). ''Jean Stevo''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevo, Jean 1914 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Belgian painters